Rosemary Lehmberg
| Rosemary Lehmberg | |
|---|---|
| District Attorney for Travis County, Texas | |
|
In office 2009 – January 3, 2017 |
|
| Preceded by | Ronnie Earle |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Moore |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1949 Taylor, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater |
University of Texas at Austin Saint Mary's University School of Law |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Rosemary Lehmberg (born c. 1949) is an American attorney who was the District Attorney of Travis County, which includes the capital city of Austin, Texas. She began working in the District Attorney's office in 1976. She headed many Divisions of the DA's office, establishing the Travis County Children's Advocacy Center, and was called "The Best Lawyer for Children's Issues" by The Austin Chronicle. In 2009, she became the first female District Attorney in Travis County, and has been cited by her supporters as heading one of the best DA offices in the United States. Lehmberg served eight years as Travis County’s district attorney before retiring in January 2017.
In 2013, she was arrested for and pleaded guilty to drunk driving. She was sentenced to forty-five days in jail. According to Lehmberg's lawyer, David Sheppard, Lehmberg's sentence was "without doubt the harshest sentence anyone has ever received for first time DWI" in Travis County. Video of her detainment and extremely inebriated and aggressive behavior was released to the public. Governor Rick Perry demanded Lehmberg's resignation, and stated that if she did not step down, he would use his line-item veto power to cut all funding to the Public Accountability Office which is under Lehmberg's authority. Lehmberg refused, and Governor Perry vetoed the office's funding. Perry was indicted for this action but was later cleared of all charges.
Born in Taylor, Texas, Lehmberg graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in Natural Sciences and received her law degree from Saint Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio. She ran a private practice until 1976 when she began working for the DA's office in Travis County. She worked in the 167th District Court as a trial attorney, was promoted multiple times and headed specialized legal divisions. She became the Director of the Family Justice Division in 1988, and started the Travis County Children's Advocacy Center (since the Center for Child Protection). She was named the Best Lawyer for Children's Issues by The Austin Chronicle. She was the First Assistant District Attorney from 1997 to 2009, and became the first female District Attorney in Travis County in 2009. In 2010, Lehmberg stated that the Hate Crimes Task Force she had started would be expanded because the case of the beating of two gay men in Austin remained unsolved. In 2011, Lehmberg denied that the sentencing of former House Representative Tom DeLay to three years in prison was a form of political payback by her office. DeLay's conviction was reversed on appeal; the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found that prosecutors had insufficient evidence to prove their case.
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